This translation was done by a group of unpaid volunteers who are regular posters on the Perugiamurderfile.net message board devoted to discussing the murder of Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, in November of 2007. The translation and editorial team was international in its make-up, with at least four continents represented including Europe, both North and South America and Australasia.
Some but not all of the individuals who worked on the translation are professional translators; others were asked to proofread sections of a technical nature because of their expertise in certain areas (forensics, DNA, molecular biology, IT, criminal law, etc.).
This was a daunting and complex task and was completed between March and August 2010, having been undertaken for the sole purpose of promoting a better understanding of this complex case, and to ensure that the facts are readily available to the English-speaking world without selective emphasis, misstatement or bias.
It has been translated on a “best efforts” basis, and has gone through multiple rounds of proofreading and editing, both to ensure its accuracy and to harmonize the language insofar as possible. Persons fluent in both Italian and English are invited and encouraged to contact PMF if they find any material errors that influence the meaning or intention of Judge Massei. All such corrections will be investigated, made as required and brought to the attention of the public. The print copy of pages 288 and 304 of the original Italian document were corrupted which has led to partial translation – we would be grateful to any person who is able to supply clean versions so that they may be translated and the document updated accordingly.
As with any translation, some terminology in Italian has no direct equivalent in English. For example, the charge of calunnia has no direct equivalent in Anglo-Saxon law. Explanations have been provided where relevant. Similarly, readers are encouraged to submit any questions about legal or other concepts that may arise as they peruse the report. Our goal is to make the report as clear and as accurate as possible; to this end, it will be amended whenever doing so promotes this goal.
As the report was written and published in Italian, that language prevails in the event of a dispute over interpretation. This English-language version is provided for readers’ convenience only; accordingly, it is a free translation and has no legal authority or status.
This translation may be freely copied or otherwise reproduced and transmitted in the unedited pdf format, provided that the translation or excerpt therefrom is accompanied by the following attribution: “From the translation prepared by unpaid volunteers to promote a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding the death of Meredith Kercher and the case against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in the English-speaking world”.
